-Live Mint   Panchayati raj minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo on how the system can function more effectively With the amendments that effected mandatory constitutional powers to Panchayats and urban local bodies marking 20 years, V. Kishore Chandra Deo, Union minister for Panchayati raj, acknowledged in an interview that the units of local self-governance could function more effectively. He also suggested that the three-tier system of Panchayats could be improved to meet challenges...

-PTI PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today told the Centre that implementation of MGNREGA was suffering due to non-availability of funds even as the state government rejected CAG findings on the ambitious rural job scheme as totally "untrue and deceptive". "I have recently reviewed the implementation of MGNREGA in the state and it has been noticed that progress of implementation is suffering due to non-availability of funds," Kumar said in a...

-Live Mint Mani Shankar Aiyar, India's first panchyati raj minister, talks about the challenges the institutions face On Wednesday, India marked 20 years of Panchayati raj, an exercise in devolving power to people at the grassroots. Rajya Sabha memberMani Shankar Aiyar was India's first panchyati raj minister, appointed to the newly created ministry in 2004. He headed a committee that examined the reasons why attempts at sharing power with self-governance units haven't...

-Live Mint Manmohan Singh urges on effective decentralization of administrative powers to ensure inclusive growth Acknowledging that India's attempts to devolve power to local self-government units have not been successful, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh on Wednesday urged the effective decentralization of administrative powers to ensure inclusive growth. In a speech to mark the 20th anniversary of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution-notified on 24 April 1993-Singh called on various arms of the...

-PTI Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of the NCP, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) and the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) have decided to jointly fight the ensuing Panchayat and municipal elections in the State slated for May 16 next. All the parties in a meeting yesterday decided to put up joint candidates for municipal and Panchayat elections and also reached a seat sharing agreement in the 30-member municipality in Itanagar and...